


Beer Pong Knight

by yukkanhei



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Drinking, Everyone Is An Adult, First Meetings, Flirting, House Party, M/M, They're In Love Your Honor, beer pong game, donghyuck likes talking to his reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29894862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukkanhei/pseuds/yukkanhei
Summary: “I’ll forgive you for abandoning my unbirthday party if you win.”“Win what?”In the blink of an eye, Donghyuck was standing in the dining room, where people had the table arranged with cups on each side. He felt his stomach drop. He sucked at beer pong. Donghyuck clawed Yuta’s arms off him, turning to plead for mercy -or another game- but the man was already yelling for a contender.“We have a new challenger! Who volunteers!”---In which Donghyuck just wanted to go home but found himself tossed into one of Yuta's favorite drinking games. And then a man in sunglasses came to his aid.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Moon Taeil
Comments: 11
Kudos: 42





	Beer Pong Knight

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by BRKLYN BOYS and Taeil being absolutely amazing at beer pong.

The harsh fluorescent lighting of the bathroom made Donghyuck’s face look terribly sunken. His bb cream was all patchy, the dark circles under his eyes more apparent now.

"Fuck, I look like a racoon," he muttered, running fingers under his eyes to try and fix the mess, hoping no one outside had noticed. They probably had not, as everyone was either drunk as fuck or well on their way to be. 

The steady beat of music outside made the whole bathroom rattle a little, somehow lulling Donghyuck and his fuzzy thoughts, and he had to blink several times, patting his cheeks to stay awake. His week had been crazy, and he was tired. So tired… Perhaps he had reached the point where he either stopped drinking and called it a night, or kept drinking to stay awake. The buzz under his skin was pleasant, and he pouted. He didn't want to leave yet, so drink more it was!

Strange how Donghyuck had thought his party season would stop after graduating university, only to find that no, his friends’ at-home dinners and coworkers’ small reunions only needed enough people with days off the following day or brave (read reckless) souls to become full fledged parties that could put some of his university adventures to shame. He thought back to his winter break festivities when Jaemin, his fellow preschool teacher, was seen twerking on a table until the boyfriend pulled him down and took him home. Jeno, it had seemed, was used to Jaemin’s drunk antics and had acted fast. Such a darling, that Jeno guy… 

Donghyuck sighed, pushing away the thoughts of his bachelor life, flicking his light brown hair this and that way in the mirror, trying to fluff it up a little so that he wouldn’t look like a deflated blob on top of his dark eye circles.

He had come tonight to catch up with his best friend Mark, and to finally visit Mark’s boyfriend's new house, who had randomly decided to throw a party because, well, it was a new house and a Saturday.

No, actually, Donghyuck had come to _murder_ Mark. If he could get past Yuta, that is.

Donghyuck recalled his hell week, thoughts wandering due to his intoxicated state, absently rubbing on his biceps because he was sure he had grown some muscle. 

He had helped Mark’s older brother at some events he covered as a photographer and survived to tell the tale, mostly out of spite to get his chance to kill Mark for not warning him about the job. Usually it was Mark who functioned as his brother’s assistant but that week he had been unavailable, cramming at home for one of his master’s thesis revisions so Johnny -Mark's brother- had invited Donghyuck instead to help at his shoots and Donghyuck had been thrilled to accept now that his school was closing for Easter holidays, because money was money and having extra of it was beautiful.

‘Easy peasy, Hyuck, don’t worry. You’ll just carry the tripod and spare lenses,’ Johnny had said, ‘And when we’re done we can mingle and they’ll even feed us!’

Well, Johnny had been a fucking liar.

It had  **not** been  _ easy peasy _ , it was a fucking nightmare. That stupid tripod  _ light _ weighted almost a ton -or felt like it, no exaggeration. Donghyuck was used to carrying 4 year old children on his arms and that thing had been way off the scale. Also, the bag with the lenses was almost as big as his torso, plus that reflective round bendy thing that looked like a rescue trampolin for mini firefighters was so heavy! Of course a man of Johnny’s dimensions wouldn’t notice the burden those things really posed, but Donghyuck had felt like he had drunk the shrinking potion of Alice in Wonderland. And then food had been either terrible or too cold to really savor, but at least Johnny had paid him a decent amount for his trouble.

Loud banging on the door startled Donghyuck out of his musings and he gave up on his hair, finally exiting the bathroom. He yelped in surprise when two girls stumbled into his personal space, apologizing between giggles before locking themselves up inside the toilet. Okay yeah no, maybe he was leaving after all? He needed his jacket and bag though, which were currently locked inside Yuta's room, upstairs. 

Donghyuck looked around the sea of people in the living room, trying to find Yuta to ask for his belongings but ultimately decided to just be as discreet as possible while going up. 

"Oi, dude, whatchu doing?" Yuta materialized right beside him as he was locking the bedroom behind him, jacket on and messenger bag slung over his shoulder. 

"Shit! Hyung, you fucking scared me!" Donghyuck hissed, slapping the man on the arm.

"Ow! You're the one being all sneaky sneak in my home! Uh? Wait are you leaving?"

"Yeah, sorry, I guess I'm tired. We had a big event yesterday and I got very little sleep."

"The graduation thing?"

"That was the other day. Yesterday was a wedding."

"Oh right! Mark said his brother almost lost an eye when the bridesmaids dove for the bouquet. Did you get to play with any sad lonely bachelors?" Yuta's eyebrows did the wiggly thing he always did when he was trying to make him blush. Donghyuck slapped his arm again, blushing indeed.

"Shut up, not everyone is a flirt like you."

“Hey! Flirting got me to meet my own sad lonely bachelor."

Donghyuck pursed his lips. Yuta had been a guest at one of the events Johnny and Mark covered months ago. A fancy business dinner, if he recalled correctly. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Tell Mark I’ll see him at home.”

“Uhhh,” Yuta scratched his ear, looking away from Donghyuck. “Maybe don’t wait for us?”

Donghyuck squinted at his friend, “Don’t you dare come over, I want -no,  **need** my sleep.”

Yuta squaked in amused outrage, “I meant he’s staying here, you brat! Just for that now you’re coming with me.”

“Hyun- wait-urk!” 

Donghyuck tried his best not to die on their way downstairs, slipping on a step might have proved deadly with Yuta’s arms holding him tight in a headlock. Why the fuck had Mark decided to date such a savage? Ah yes, probably because he was fun and handsome. 

And kinda rich. 

_ Lucky bastard, _ Donghyuck thought into the ether.

“I’ll forgive you for abandoning my unbirthday party if you win.”

“Win what?”

In the blink of an eye, Donghyuck was standing in the dining room, where people had the table arranged with cups on each side. He felt his stomach drop. He sucked at beer pong. Donghyuck clawed Yuta’s arms off him, turning to plead for mercy -or another game- but the man was already yelling for a contender.

“We have a new challenger! Who volunteers!”

The people scattered around -composed of a mix of Yuta and Mark’s friends- cheered back and moved closer, surrounding the table for the showdown, yet no one walked towards Donghyuck’s side of the table. He looked both helplessly yet hopeful around for someone  _ decent  _ to join him, because he really, really fucking sucked at beer pong! Yuta’s hand shot into the crowd to grab a partner, and Donghyuck gasped in dismay because there, on Yuta’s team was his own cousin, smirking cockily back at him. Donghyuck instantly regretted introducing Jaehyun to Mark’s in-law circle, then made a mental note to get revenge for Jaehyun’s conspiracy. 

"Traitor," Donghyuck whisper-yelled across the table.

"Party pooper," Jaehyun whispered back, his dimples flashing on his handsome face.

Seconds later the crowd parted and a guy wearing white framed sunglasses strolled into the room, walking straight towards Donghyuck and eliciting a loud groan from Yuta who promptly started waving the air.

"No, Taeil hyung, not you! You always win. Go away!"

"Oh yes, let him," Jaehyun interrupted, pushing his teammate’s hands down. “This way is better!” 

Donghyuck gulped at the sudden fire in his cousin’s eyes, Jaehyun’s competitive spirit apparently awakened by this Taeil guy. He stared as the newcomer walked towards him, eyes still obscured by the glasses as he gave Donghyuck a bright wide smile. 

"Hi, I'm Taeil," he said, extending his hand towards Donghyuck, who eyed it hesitantly before shaking it. Taeil should look ridiculous in those glasses -it was practically midnight!- but he somehow managed to pull off a fashionable vibe, his beige sweater and black jeans making him look big, even if he was slightly shorter than Donghyuck.

"Donghyuck," he answered, voice suddenly small and he wanted to kick himself. Why was he getting shy?! "I'm sorry, I suck at this,” he let go, lest the man notice his palms had started to sweat. “I hope you're ready to get drunk pretty quickly."

"Oh don't worry your pretty head, I'm excellent at this."

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow at him. Excellent at getting drunk or at playing? Was he bluffing? The man didn’t look like he was good at drinking games. Actually, he didn’t look like he was even able to see anything with those glasses!

“Are you high?” Donghyuck blurted.

Taeil turned to look at him, moving his sunglasses up just enough to wink at Donghyuck with clear eyes. “Nope! Sober as can be. Except for the beer. Beers.” Taeil pursed his lips, “Huh. Where did I leave my cup?” 

"Stop flirting grandpa, show us what you've got!" Yuta yelled and Donghyuck watched in mild fascination as Taeil smirked back, adjusting his sunglasses. 

"Grandpa your ass! Alright boy, lesssgediit!" 

The small crowd erupted into more drunken cheering, Jaehyun's deep laughter reaching his ears, as Donghyuck blushed at the realization that yes, this Taeil guy had indeed been sort of flirting with him. His cousin was staring at him with his sparkly eyes and Donghyuck just knew that Jaehyun was going to pester him sooner or later about his  _ latest conquest _ , as Jaehyun was in the habit of running his mouth off whenever anyone even so much looked in Donghyuck’s direction. Why was he so obsessed with getting him a date, Donghyuck couldn't tell.

But.

This time maybe Donghyuck wouldn’t mind, he decided, as he turned his attention towards the smiling man next to him, watching how he aced the first three shots. Whenever Donghyuck received the still wet plastic ball for his turn, Taeil cheered loudly -even at his failed attempts-, and when Donghyuck finally scored into one of the farthest and more difficult to aim cups, he had given him excited pats on his back. Donghyuck could still feel the warmth of his touch, like a burning brand through his jacket. 

Things got heated quickly as the competition turned out to be a real death match, Yuta and Jaehyun were good at the game, but Taeil was way better. Or maybe it was just that Yuta kept missing his shots, drunker by the minute. Donghyuck snorted, Taeil was really good at beer-pong. If Donghyuck were not in his team, he was sure he would have driven Jaehyun and Yuta to a drunken stupor way earlier. 

In his defense, Donghyuck mused, it wasn’t that he was terrible at aiming, but rather became distracted. Taeil’s soft touches on his waist or at the small of his back left goosebumps in their wake when the man tried helping Donghyuck correct his stance.

And there was also the matter of his soft voice caressing Donghyuck’s neck, whispering in his ear to aim higher, move his wrist this way, bend his knees like that.

Donghyuck’s face was burning red as his mind spiraled down the gutter, imagining private situations where he could be  _ aiming higher _ ,  _ twisting  _ his wrist and bending his knees  _ and himself _ like-- Thank god half the room was wasted and wouldn’t even notice how much he was blushing. 

Damn, who would have thought that beer pong could be this heart-fluttering? Or maybe he was at the horny stage of his drunkenness.

Distracted as he was, he completely missed his last shot, but it didn’t matter, because Jaehyun missed his shot too, and then Taeil didn’t, and the whole room erupted in cheers again. The room spun around him, and belatedly Donghyuck realized it was not the alcohol taking him down but rather that Taeil had thrown his arms around him and was twirling him, laughter in his ears.

The spinning stopped, Taeil was now holding him at arm’s length, still smiling and wearing those silly sunglasses, and Donghyuck felt his world spin again but for different reasons. It was the alcohol he had ingested during the game, he tried to explain to himself, but honestly he wasn't fooling his brain. He was feeling quite attracted to this man, like, really attracted. He was handsome, and that dazzling smile was nearly perfect, and-- and he was sure it had nothing to do with the beers he had ingested. 

"We made an excellent team," Taeil said, sliding his glasses up on his hair.

"Yeah?" Donghyuck gulped. Fuck, he looked absolutely dashing with his hair held up. Fuck.

"Yeah we did!"

"Mark!" Yuta half screeched, making Donghyuck and his companion turn their attention towards their host, now trying to burrow himself on Mark's chest. "Mark, I lost!"

"Yu- what are- hyung you're crushing me!" Came Mark's reply, trying in vain to remove his boyfriend's limbs from around himself. He finally sighed as if resigned, opting to circle his own arms around his drunk boyfriend, finally taking notice of Donghyuck. "There you are Hyuck. You disappeared from the couch I thought you had gone home- oh hello professor Moon, I see you've met my roommate." 

A very nonchalant greeting from someone who was currently resting his hands over Yuta’s ass. Mark, Donghyuck realized, was not sober either, or he wouldn't be shamelessly semi fondling his boyfriend.

Wait.

Professor?

Donghyuck blinked at Taeil, who was now grinning over the rim of a new party cup. 

"Oh! You're the one who makes those amazing lunchboxes? I still dream of those potato croquettes. Mark shared with me once during studio break, it was heavenly. "

Donghyuck fought the urge to squirm in embarrassment. His cooking… his sharing… it wasn't as noble a deed as Taeil made it sound. Sometimes he would feel like cooking something nice for himself, but he had yet to master the art of cooking for one so Mark always received the leftovers, not exactly a well thought portion, nor the prettiest or most savory.

He had the sudden urge to start something in the kitchen so he could feed this stunning man something really amazing, and his brain went all red alerts. Time to go home, for real, before the alcohol hit him in full and he began cleaning Yuta’s apartment. He tended to go the housewife path after the horny subsided when drunk.

"I have to go," he blurted at his companions, Yuta suddenly whipping around in Mark's embrace.

"Taeil hyung won your freedom and I'm a generous king, so I set you free," Yuta claimed, raising a palm towards Donghyuck as if in blessing. Donghyuck snorted, slapping it away.

"Go drink some water hyung, you're gonna be super hungover tomorrow."

"Oh that’s for sure," Mark mumbled, a mix of endeared and exasperated. "I'm staying, to help him clean, you know."

Donghyuck stared at his friend's hands that had definitely gone deep into Yuta's back pockets. Sure.  _ Clean. _

"Right. Well, enjoy cleaning hyung. Thanks for the fun.”

Yuta mumbled something unintelligible over Mark’s neck, who giggled and waved his goodbye’s before dragging his boyfriend towards the kitchen, presumably to get him some water. When Donghyuck turned around, Taeil wasn’t there.

He was not disappointed, nah. 

Looking around one last time, he spotted Jaehyun animatedly talking with one of Yuta’s business partners, the married one with the big eyes, what was his name? Ah, Taeyong! They made brief eye contact and before Jaehyun could even think of opening his mouth, Donghyuck threw him a peace sign and speed walked towards the door.

Outside by the porch, Donghyuck fumbled with his phone, blinking at the screen trying to focus on pressing the correct pinpoint for his uber when he heard his name being called behind him. 

It was Taeil, sunglasses neatly tucked on the collar of his beige sweater.

“Oh, P-Professor Moon, hi.” Because he couldn’t call him hyung, right? Would that have been too forward of him? Why was he even worrying about it? “Out for some fresh air?”

“Nah, I’m leaving too.” Taeil hummed, taking his own phone out, “My uber’s almost here.” He scuttled closer to Donghyuck to fake whisper in his ear, “I was biding my time. You were the perfect distraction to help me avoid Yuta’s nagging so thanks.”

Donghyuck snorted, “You’re welcome I guess. You've known Yuta for a while then.”

“Oh yeah," Taeil chuckled. “We were roommates back in uni and a little after. I know not to leave any of his parties before he’s smashed.”

“That’s Yuta hyung for you!” Donghyuck added, amused, “But it's the first time I've seen you in one of his reunions."

"I was away for a seminar, and then he kept insisting on Thursday nights. I have staff meetings early on Fridays you see, so I preferred to stay at home."

Donghyuck scrunched his nose, remembering the one Friday after one of Yuta's dinners when he had almost been late for work. Thankfully Yuta's old apartment had been a short distance from his own home, or he would have had to show up at the preschool wearing his favorite shimmery skinny jeans. The kids would have loved the sparkle but their parents… maybe not so much.

"Donghyuck, Hyuck, can I call you Hyuck?" Taeil asked, smiling wide and sure of himself, earning a nod from Donghyuck, "where's your place, maybe we can share the car."

Donghyuck tried not to think too much about the question. It was a classic friendly gesture, right? People shared rides all the time, it was not that Taeil was inviting him for an extra drink or anything-- He remembered he had yet to answer.

"Just between __ and __ street."

"Ah, by the public library?"

"That's the one, yeah!" Donghyuck felt his enthusiasm dim as Taeil’s smile faltered a little.

"We're on opposite sides then. I'm by the river, closer to the university."

Yeah, it was a little far. Mark always had to leave their apartment an hour and a half earlier for class, but it was mainly when he took his car. Donghyuck smiled through his disappointment. 

"Our eco-friendly hopes have been dashed."

Taeil laughed, suddenly brighter, "Hahaha indeed!"

A phone pinged loudly, and Taeil looked down at his device, before looking back at the street where a grey sedan was slowly pulling over the curb. 

"That's me, then."

"It was nice to meet you, Professor Moon."

Taeil scoffed, "Do you call all your fellow teachers by their title, Professor Donghyuck?"

Fellow teachers! How did he--? Had Mark talked about him? Donghyuck almost choked on a nervous giggle.

"I- I'm in preschool, not university!"

"Well you certainly look quite older than kindergarten, " Taeil smirked.

Donghyuck laughed, throwing caution to the wind and risking a slight shove at Taeil’s shoulder. The man’s smile grew wider. "You know what I mean."

"Just Taeil is fine. Or… hyung, if you'd like."

Donghyuck smiled too, "Taeil hyung it is, then."

"Ok cool."

"Cool."

They stared at each other until Taeil's phone pinged again. 

"Right. Uh. See you around, Hyuck."

"Yeah. See you, Taeil hyung."

Donghyuck watched as the man quickly hopped off the porch stairs, discreetly trying to ogle at Taeil's backside, because he wasn't blind, the man had a great ass. And then Taeil spun around just as he reached the awaiting car, eyes going wide at catching him infraganti before smirking once more at Donghyuck’s blinking, blushing face.

"Would you like going out for lunch?" Taeil asked in a slightly raised voice, enough for Donghyuck to hear with the party's music still booming inside the house.

"Yes, of course!" came Donghyuck's hurried reply.

"Great. Awesome. I'll text you!"

"Sure!"

*~*~*~*~*

Donghyuck woke up slightly thirsty and feeling his head a little bit heavy, but otherwise not sick. He knew he had drunk way more than he intended, especially the last half hour before he left the party, so he silently thanked whoever had decided to mix those beer pong drinks so mildly.

But also he had a great game partner.

_ Donghyuck, Hyuck, can I call you Hyuck? _

Heh.

Donghyuck smiled through the soap as he washed his face, remembering Taeil and his ridiculous sunglasses and the way he noisily celebrated each score.

_ Would you like going out for lunch? _

He dried his face and stared at his expression on the mirror, hiding his face on the towel as he let out an excited squeal.  Lunch. He was having lunch with Taeil. It was a date, right? Of course it was!  And then he remembered he had not given the man his number. How was Taeil going to text him if they didn't have each other's contact?!

Donghyuck scrambled back toward his bedroom, going directly for his phone, intent on pestering Mark awake to get Taeil’s number.

There were 2 unread messages.

[Unknown]

I forgot to get your number but I asked Mark,    
I hope you don't find that too forward of me   
anyway you're probably asleep I'll let you rest 

This is Taeil from the beer pong game by the way

The second one was from Mark:

[Canada]

wh y is myy tesis tutor asklsing fo rr yuor nummnmbe r at 2am ????????

I gasve it to hhim treat him well he's cooll

aslso yoiu owe mee one bye yuta says hve fun use protection

wait ddon’t banmg my tutor yet pls i still have liek 2 revisiooins left 

Donghyuck threw back his head and laughed at the message. Oh, he could kiss Mark Lee! He sent his best friend a myriad of heart emojis among some of eggplants, sure that he wouldn't see them or reply until well past the afternoon, then set to reply to Taeil after saving his number.

[Professor Sexy]

I forgot to get your number but I asked Mark,    
I hope you don't find that too forward of me   
anyway you're probably asleep I'll let you rest 

This is Taeil from the beer pong game by the way

You're a resourceful one, Moon Taeil.

As expected of a university professor. 

Is the offer for lunch still up?

He stared in awe as the message almost immediately changed from sent to read then typing.

[Professor Sexy]

Yes of course! 

When are you free?

  
  


*~*~*~*~*

  
  


The soft warm lighting of the bathroom made Donghyuck’s face look a little bloated. His bb cream was still perfect, except for where a few tear stains had ruined it, the eyeliner he wore a little smudged around his eyes. He had cried, but only just a little.

"Fuck, why do I always end up looking like a racoon," he muttered, running fingers under his eyes to try and fix the mess. There was a knock on the door and he stared at it wide eyed, praying he had not been found.

“Hyuckie? Are you okay?”

Sighing in relief, Donghyuck threw the door open to find his boyfriend with a fist still held up.

“Oh thank God, thought it was Johnny!”

Taeil chuckled in amusement before gently pulling Donghyuck out of the restroom, ushering them towards their table. The event hall was all glittery and full of white and red flowers, the golden glow of the crystal candelabra above them and the clanging of cutlery and soft conversations casting a sort of magical aura around the whole room.

“I’ll have to tell Johnny to spare you from your services, then. Dinner’s about to be served.”

Donghyuck turned around and hugged his boyfriend, hiding his face on his neck, “He’s gonna throw a tantrum, covering weddings always puts him on edge, especially this one because it’s his brother’s wedding!”

“Then I’ll tell Mark to talk to his brother! I’m Yuta's best man.”

“But I am Mark’s!”

“Then tell your cousin to help. He likes--”

“--Photography, you’re right! You’re a genius babe.” Donghyuck perked up, his eyes shining with excitement at the prospect of being free from his assistant duty. Curse those few weeks he had helped Johnny months ago, where he apparently did an excellent job because Johnny had insisted on him being his partner, since Mark couldn’t possibly take his own wedding pics. 

Taeil raised an eyebrow at him, “I was going to say Johnny, but alright, that’s fantastic then.”

“What? Jaehyun likes Johnny?”

“Yeah? Haven’t you seen the way he stares?”

Donghyuck whipped his head around, standing on his tippy toes to try and find Yuta’s guest side of the venue, and it was just his luck his eyes zeroed on his cousin sipping on a wine glass and staring at Johnny’s backside, who was bent in one of his strange photographer poses taking pics of some flower arrangements for the album. Donghyuck’s eyes sparkled and a mischievous smile grew on his lips.

Bingo. 

"What are we planning, babe?" Taeil fake whispered in his ear, staring in the same direction as him with a mild smile.

"My long awaited revenge."

  
  
  
  



End file.
